Browsing: Veterans Day

First the video, then a few deep breaths, then some background: Rather than parades, appliance sales or ribbons one day a year, sailors aboard the aircraft carrier John C. Stennis are paying tribute to veterans on a more personal level — visiting veterans homes as part of the ship’s community-relations efforts. It’s led to one-on-one history lessons and brightened the days of both generations. It also led to the three-minute video above, put together by MCSNs Eric Melone and Jose Hernandez and featuring Aviation Boatswain’s Mate 2nd Class Joseph Hodge during a visit to the Washington Veterans Home in Retsil,…

Just two months after winning gold at the 2012 London Paralympics, Lt. Brad Snyder is partnering with Delta Gamma fraternity to help blinded veterans regain their independence. Delta Gamma’s new initiative, Service for Sight: Joining Forces, was launched on Veterans Day. Though the Greek organization already supports sight-related charities, donating $300,000 in 2011, this new program will specifically help blinded veterans. In September 2011, Snyder was leading an explosive ordnance disposal platoon in Afghanistan when he triggered an improvised explosive device. The blast left him irreversibly blind. “Gaining your independence back is the best aspect of feeling good as a…

Organizers of the Quicken Loans Carrier Classic game and ESPN were thrilled Thursday that a Pacific storm might hold off any rain until well beyond the basketball game’s tip-off at 4:15 p.m. Pacific time Friday on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier Carl Vinson in San Diego. A rainy forecast had threatened to force the season opener between Michigan State and the University of North Carolina to the hangar deck below. But by midday Thursday, throngs of journalists converged on the flight deck on a comfortably balmy day for pregame activities that included a press conference with team officials…

When the Navy agreed to hold an NCAA basketball game on the flight deck of the carrier Carl Vinson, one probably could have gotten decent odds against the prospect of rain in San Diego on Veterans Day. Now there’s an 80 percent chance, and it’s looking like the highly anticipated North Carolina-Michigan State game could get bumped downstairs to the much smaller hangar deck. That’s bad news for some ticket holders — just about all of them military personnel — because only 4,000 or 5,000 of the 7,000 who could attend topside would be able to squeeze into the hangar…

The Michigan State and North Carolina men’s basketball teams will wear school-color camouflage-style uniforms to honor the military during their Nov. 11 Veterans Day clash aboard the aircraft carrier Carl Vinson in San Diego. On Monday, the Spartans showed off the camouflage-patterned unis they’ll wear — white with a light green pattern and bordered with the school’s traditional dark green. North Carolina’s design, unveiled Oct. 26, will feature a deep blue camouflage pattern over the traditional Carolina blue. Neither team will have player names on the back of the jerseys. Replacing the names will be “U.S.A.”,…